Article carrier



July 30, 1968 P. J. woo ET AL ARTI CLE CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 28, 1965 FIG.

INVENTOR A.J. RINEHART PRENT|CEJ.WOOD

W Z$ 71 I ATTORNEY July 30, 1968 P, J. wooD ET AL ART I CLE CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28, 196

PRENTICE J wooo BYfl fifiz W 5 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,394,863 ARTICLE CARRIER Prentice J. Wood, Jonesboro, and Alfred J. Rinehart, Atlanta, Ga., assignors to The Mead Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 28, 1965, Ser. No. 475,418 Claims. (Cl. 22927) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The panel structure as disclosed herein is formed from a carton side wall and comprises a primary panel struck from the side wall and foldably joined thereto along a primary fold line and a secondary panel also struck from the same side wall and foldably joined to the primary panel along a secondary fold line, the primary panel being folded along the primary fold line into flat face contacting relation to the side Wall from which it is struck and being secured thereto and the secondary panel being folded along the secondary fold line into a generally normal relation to the primary panel and side wall. Similar structure is formed from a pair of opposed spaced apart side walls so that the two secondary panels may be secured together in face contacting relation whereby a partition structure is provided which also constitutes a handle. The angular disposition of the primary and secondary fold lines is significant according to a facet of the invention.

This invention relates to article carriers and more particularly to a carrier having a pair of compartments separated by a medial handle panel, the handle panel being struck from the carton side walls and the two compartments being of substantially equal size.

Two carriers having two compartments are known wherein an adequate degree of strength is afforded and wherein appropriate separation of the two compartments provided. Such carriers, however, are costly and cost factors may in some instances prove to be prohibitive, particularly where the carrier is to be used in connection with throw-away primary packages, for example.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a twocompartment carrier which is sufli'ciently sturdy for use in connection with throw-away primary packages and which is economical to construct.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a two-compartment carrier wherein the end and side walls are of conventional construction and wherein the medial handle partition is of a special construction and wherein such handle structure is struck from the carton side walls and disposed with respect thereto so as not to impede the serviceability of' the carrier as a means for packaging and carrying relatively heavy primary packages, such as bottles and the like.

The invention in one form as applied to an article carton having two substantially identical compartments comprises panel structure formed from opposite side walls of the carton and constitutes a primary and a secondary panel, struck from each of the carton side walls, each primary panel being foldably joined along a primary fold line to each carton side wall and each secondary panel being foldably joined to the primary panel along a secondary fold line. Both panels are swung out of each of the carton side walls along the primary fold line so that each primary panel occupies a position of fiat face contacting relation to a surface of associated side wall and each secondary panel is thereafter folded into transverse relation to the primary panel and the carton side wall. The secondary panel thus constitutes a medial partition whereby the carrier is divided into two compartments and, of course, the partition may, if desired, be provided with a hand gripping aperture. Preferably, panel structure as above described is struck from each of a pair of opposed carton side walls in such manner that the secondary panel of each panel structure may be secured to the secondary panel of the other panel structure thereby to render the medial partition of a double thickness construction.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article carrier constructed according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the carrier as depicted in FIG. 1 is formed; FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the carrier upon completion of the first application of glue to the blank; FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the blank upon completion of the folding of certain panels as de picted in FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a view of a completed carrier but shown in flat collapsed form, and in which FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a blank such as is depicted in FIG. 2 but showing a modification of the invention represented in FIGS. l-5, inclusive.

With reference to the drawings, the numeral 1 depicts one side wall of the carrier and the numeral 2 depicts generally one end wall of the carrier. In like fashion, the numeral 3 depicts the other side wall of the carrier, while the numeral 4 generally designates the remaining end wall. A conventional glue flap is designated by the numeral 5. As is Well understood, the glue flap 5 is secured to an edge of the end wall 4 to complete the side and end wall structure of the carrier.

The bottom of the carrier as shown in the drawings is of a conventional collapsible type. For example, side wall 1 is provided with a flap 6 which is foldably joined to the bottom edge of side wall 1 along fold line 7. A generally triangular shaped tab 8 is foldably joined to an end edge of the flap 6 along fold line 9. In like fashion, the side wall 3 is provided with a flap 10 which is foldably joined to the bottom'edge of side wall 3 along fold line 11. A generally triangular tab 12 is foldably joined to an end of flap 10 along fold line 13. A flap 14 is foldably joined to the bottom edge of end wall 2 along fold line 15 and a similar flap 16 is foldably joined to the bottom edge of end panel 4 along fold line 17. Conventional locking notches 18 and 19 are formed along the edge of bottom flaps 6 and 10, respectively, and cooperate with each other to form a collapsible bottom as is well understood.

The panel structure generally designated in FIG. 1 by the numeral 20 is constructed in accordance with this invention and comprises a primary panel 21 which is struck out of the carton side wall 1 and which is foldably joined thereto along primary fold line 22. In addition, the panel structure comprises a secondary panel 23 also struck from the carton side wall 1 and foldably joined to the primary panel 21 along a secondary fold line 24. A slit 25 connects with one end of secondary fold line 24 and serves to separate the main portion of secondary panel 23 from the main portion of primary panel 21. If desired, a hand gripping aperture designated by the numeral 26 may be formed in the secondary panel 23 and a cushioning flap 27 may be foldably joined within the aperture 26 along fold line 28. Since the primary panel 21 and the secondary panel 23 are folded inwardly of the carrier as depicted in FIG. 1, the side wall 1 simply depicts an opening from which the primary and secondary panels 21 and 23, respectively, have been struck.

A similar panel structure is also struck from side wall 3. As is shown in the drawings, this structure comprises a primary panel 29 foldably joined to side wall 3 along primary fold line 30 together with a secondary panel 31 foldably joined to the primary panel 29 along the secondary fold line 32. A slit 33 is interconnected with an end of the fold line 32 and serves to separate the primary panel 29 and the secondary panel 31. Furthermore, a handle gripping aperture 34 may be struck from the secondary panel 31 and, if desired, a cushioning flap 35 may be foldably joined within the hand gripping aperture 34 and connected to the side wall 3 along fold line 36. In the drawings, the glue flap is joined to side wall 3 by fold line 37, while the end wall 2 is foldably joined to the other edge of side wall 3 along fold line 38. Similarly, side wall 1 is foldably joined to end wall 2 along fold line 39, while the side wall 1 is foldably joined to end wall 4 along fold line 40.

The first step in the formation of the completed carrier as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4 constitute the application of glue as indicated by the two stippled areas in FIG. 3 immediately above the primary fold lines 22 and 30. Thereafter, the panel structure comprising the primary panel 29 and the secondary panel 31 is folded bodily upward and into fiat face contacting relation with the stippled area of panel 3. The primary panel 29 and secondary panel 31 then occupy the position as depicted in FIG. 4. Simultaneously, the primary panel 21 and the secondary panel 23 are folded bodily as a unit along the primary fold line 22 until the primary panel 21 comes into fiat face contacting relation with the stippled area in FIG. 3. The panel structure comprising panels 21 and 23 then appear as depicted in FIG. 4.

The blank as depicted in FIG. 4 is then glued in the areas indicated by the stippling, following which the blank is folded along the vertical fold line 38 by simply swinging the side wall 3 and the glue flap 5 forwardly so that panel 3 overlies end wall 2 and partially overlies side wall 1. Simultaneously, the stippled area on the triangular flap designated by the numeral 12 causes that triangle to become affixed to the left hand end of the flap 14. End panel 4 including its bottom flap 16 is then swung up and toward the left along the fold line 40 to cause the stippled area along the right hand edge of end wall 4 to adhere to glue flap 5. Simultaneously, the left hand end of bottom flap 16 as depicted in FIG. 4 is adhered to the triangular flap 8. Upon completion of the folding the side wall 3 and associated structure along the fold line 38, the secondary panel 31 adheres in flat face contacting relation to the secondary panel 23. Upon completion of these operations the article carrier then appears in collapsed completed form as depicted in FIG. 5.

In order to set up the carrier depicted in FIG. 5 into the set-up condition depicted in FIG. 1, it is simply necessary to press inwardly along the fold lines 38 and 40. This applied pressure causes the bottom section to move into set-up condition and when the notches 18 and 19 engage each other, the carrier is retained in set-up condition as depicted in FIG. 1. Of course, during the setting up operation the secondary panels 31 and 23 swing into transverse relation as depicted in FIG. 1 by swinging along the secondary fold lines 32 and 24, respectively. Thus, the carton as set up in FIG. 1 shows the panel structure of this invention with the primary panels 21 and 29 in fiat contacting relation to the side walls 1 and 3, respectively, and with the secondary panels 23 and 31 secured to each other in fiat face contacting relation and disposed in normal transverse relation to the side walls 1 and 3. In FIG. 1, the secondary panel 23 occupies a position forwardly of secondary panel 31, whereas the carrier as shown in collapsed form in FIG. 5 depicts the secondary panel 31 as disposed in front of the secondary panel 23.

Since the two compartments formed in the carrier are of substantially identical size, and since the side walls 1 and 3 are approximately twice as long as the end walls 2 and 4, it is apparent that transverse medial partition structure formed according to this invention affords an adequate full partition due primarily to the fact that the primary fold lines 22 and 30 are angularly disposed with respect to the end edges of the side walls 1 and 3 designated for example by the numerals 37-40 and because the secondary panels 23 and 31 are so shaped and tilted with respect to the fold lines 22 and 30 as to be sufficiently wide and at the same time an adequate mounting for the secondary panels 23 and 31 is afforded in the form of the primary panels 21 and 29 and the secondary fold lines 24 and 32, respectively. Stated otherwise, the fold lines 22 and 30 are tilted with respect to horizontal by an acute angle. Furthermore, the secondary fold lines 24 and 32 are tilted out of a true vertical plane by an acute angle which is approximately twice that by which the primary fold lines 22 and 30 are disposed with respect to a true horizontal line. Thus, according to the invention a sturdy carrier is provided which is particularly economical in the use of material.

FIG. 6 represents a modification of the invention whereby the secondary fold line 24a may be utilized instead of the secondary fold line 24 as depicted in the arrangement represented in FIGS. 1-5, inclusive. Stated otherwise, the slit as depicted by the numeral 25 in FIG. 2, for example, is eliminated by the straight secondary fold line 24a as depicted in FIG. 6. Otherwise, the arrangement of FIG. 6 is identical to that described in connection with FIGS. 1-5, inclusive.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Panel structure formed from the side wall of a carton, said structure comprising a primary panel and a secondary panel struck from the side wall, said primary panel being foldably joined thereto along a primary fold line, and said secondary panel being foldably joined to said primary panel along a secondary fold line, said primary panel being folded along said primary fold line and being secured in flat face contacting relation to the side wall and said secondary panel being folded along said secondary fold line into a generally normal relation to said primary panel whereby said secondary panel occupies a transverse position relative to said side wall.

2. Transverse medial panel structure for a carton having a pair of opposed side walls, said panel structure comprising a primary panel and a secondary panel struck from each of said side walls and foldably joined thereto along a primary fold line, said secondary panel also being foldably joined to the associated primary panel along a secondary fold line, each primary panel being folded along its primary fold line and being secured in fiat face contacting relation with its associated side wall and each secondary panel being folded along its secondary fold line into a generally normal relation to its associated primary panel and in a direction toward the other primary and secondary panel into a position of general parallel face contacting relation with the other secondary panel, and means for securing said secondary panels together to form therewith a partition and handle.

3. Panel structure according to claim 1 wherein said primary and said secondary fold lines are disposed at an acute angle to each other and wherein said primary fold line is disposed at an acute angle with respect to horizontal, said acute angles being complementary.

4. Panel structure according to claim 1 wherein said primary fold line is disposed from a horizontal plane by an angle which is approximately one-half the angle by which said secondary fold line is disposed from a vertical plane before said panels are folded out of the side wall.

5. Panel structure according to claim 1 wherein the maximum horizontal dimension of said structure is greater than one-half the length of the associated side wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,543,821 3/1951 Arneson 220-1 12 2,763,398 9/1956 Moore 220l12 2,997,223 8/ 1961 Zastrow 2201 12 DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

